Tanzania Partnership

When our groups visited the Huruma Center orphanage last July, one sweet little girl grabbed my hand and didn't let go.  We sat on the steps watching the other kids jump rope and play soccer with the visitors. She draped herself across my lap and snuggled in. She was born with an umbilical hernia, and by the age of eight she had a mass the size of my fist protruding from her belly.  It caused pain when she moved, so she avoided the active pursuits most kids her age love. Her condition could be fixed by a simple surgery, so we left word that we would like to cover her medical expenses if the surgery could be arranged. Today we learned that she had the surgery on Thursday, was back home at Huruma by Saturday, and is doing well.  We are so grateful to Gary Langness, a longterm volunteer currently in Iringa, for making the arrangements.  A few weeks ago, he took a visiting Minnesota physician to the orphanage to assess the child.  Together,...

Shepherd of the Valley travelers carry gifts when we visit, and we also carry funds to purchase gifts in country.  Some of the most valuable gifts we bring to our partners are gifts that bring health -- mosquito nets that guard against malaria, and medicines to supply the dispensary. Purchasing medicines and mosquito nets involves a visit to our favorite pharmacy, Acacia Pharmacy. This year, we also visited another store to order the mosquito nets.  The purchase also involves counting cash. Tanzania is primarily a cash economy.  $1600 in US dollars becomes a large wad of Tanzanian Shillings. The largest denomination of Tanzanian currency is the 10,000 Shilling note, worth about $6.25 USD this year. We purchased about 320 mosquito nets. To purchase medicines for the dispensary, we first give Dr. Barnabas and Dr. Saga (from the diocese) our budget.  This year, contributions allowed us to spend $2000 on medicines.  The doctors pr...

January and February is a pretty busy time for Saint Paul Area Synod partners visiting Iringa, Tanzania.  What's not to like about leaving Minnesota cold, snow and ice for the warmth of Iringa's January sun?  So I'd like to call your attention to a few currently active travel blogs. http://lynandmollieintz.blogspot.com/   SOTV members Lyn and Mollie MacLean are about halfway through their two month stay in Iringa.  This week they are visiting secondary schools in the Iringa Diocese, meeting and taking photos of many of the students sponsored by congregations in our synod. http://iringahope2013.blogspot.com/   Tom and Sandy Hendrickson are members of Christiania Lutheran in Lakeville, and are involved in the nonprofit organization Iringa Hope, which supports microfinance work in the Iringa Diocese.  They travel each day to another Tanzanian congregation and report on the successes and challenges of establishing a cooperative banking system in a country w...

Amy Schulz has posted some great photos from her time in Tanzania. She traveled with a medical team, worked at Ilula Hospital, and visited Tungamalenga in January. Pastor Naftal with the long awaited motorcycle, which will help him travel among the 20 village congregations that make up the parish. Thanks to SOTV's Men's Ministries for raising the funds to purchase the motorcycle. Carrying water is a daily task for women and children. A bus, stuck in the deep sand at the side of the road. Check out all of Amy's photos here.

Both Dr Randy Hurley and Amy Schulz have posted a few details from their first week at Ilula Hospital. Here's Dr. Randy's reflective comments about childhood in Tanzania: We have met a number of amazing young people here: ones that want to "grow up to be doctors and lawyers and such..." teachers, business people, those that can helpthis community progress and prosper. After working in the pediatric ward at Ilula, it strikes me that these children have such a gauntlet that they need to surpass in order to achieve these dreams. First you have to hope that you've been given a mother that is sufficiently well nourished to carry you to term, allow for good cognitive development and without complications such as malaria...and that she has access to a hospitalthat can safely deal with any complications that could occur at delivery. You need to hope you get a mother that does not have HIV and a family that can provide enough nutrition for appropriate brain development....

Today, two SOTV members boarded a plane with other healthcare professionals headed toward the Iringa Diocese in Tanzania. Dr. Randy Hurley, co chair of Shoulder to Shoulder, a nonprofit organization that supports healthcare in the Iringa Diocese, particularly at the Ilula Lutheran Hospital, leads the team of doctors, nurses, medical students, public health students, an occupational therapist, and a physical therapist. Dr. Randy has taken almost yearly trips to Tanzania since his first in 2002 with a team from Shepherd of the Valley. Amy Schulz, a physical therapist, is taking her first trip with the medical team. Randy, Amy, and the rest of the team will be working shoulder to shoulder with staff at the Ilula Lutheran Hospital for much of their time in Tanzania. They will be visiting Tungamalenga Parish the weekend of January 22/23. Please keep Randy, Amy and the whole medical team in your prayers. Amy will be blogging about her travels at Safari Njema 2011 and some members of the ...